Roundtable: Final thoughts, predictions before FSU kicks off the season

Florida State finally kicks off the season this Saturday against Alabama.

It’s been a long offseason, one made longer by a nightmarish 2024 season that we will hopefully not have to talk about anymore once actual football is being played. FSU has fully revamped its roster and coaching staff, looking to get back to form and back in the postseason.

We dropped our staff predictions for tomorrow’s game already — today, we’re asking four big questions ahead of kickoff:

Final thoughts on FSU
What will be more impressive, offense or defense?
Will FSU beat a rival?
Final record predictions

We are also interested in your reading

your responses to these same queries in the comment section below.

Camp is over, game day is almost here: what are your thoughts on FSU as a team?

Jordan Silversmith: I believe that the intangibles of Florida State are fixed, which was a massive reason for the letdown a season ago. Tommy Castellanos appears to be the linchpin in bringing the roster together, while each position group has been infused with veteran talent from other schools. The new coaching staff, specifically those on the defensive side, is instilling a no-nonsense attitude in their players and hoping it will be put on display on Saturdays.

Curt Weiler: 1. I have talked about my thoughts a lot over the last few weeks in my various stories on the website. I have plenty of reasons for both optimism and pessimism. I see the path with Tommy Castellanos in Gus Malzahn and know Tony White has said all the right things this offseason. But I also can’t get that 2024 stink out of my head. It’s a tough place to be in, one that I imagine a lot of you are thinking similarly about right now.

Jacob Smith: I like that FSU has been able to land transfer after transfer this summer, but the class of 2026 folks aren’t gonna be around for another year. Not sure I agree with the depth chart as of now, with Shyheim behind Ashlynd Barker in particular. Gavin Sawchuk should be great, though, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they lean on a pro-style offense. Definitely going to be a step-up from 2024.

Frank DeÑole: 1. Since we have been talking about Wade Boggs a lot recently, it reminded me of his famous quote, which can best summarize my feelings heading into this season.

A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results. -Wade Boggs

NoleThruandThru: It’s hard to tell, honestly, as I’m no longer interested in Mike Norvell’s coach-speak after last season. I appreciated the candor from Tony White, though. If this team can stay healthy, it should finish over .500 and get to a bowl game. The talent and experience are there, and it seems like some maturing has taken place from several players FSU needs to step up.

Tim Scribble:I wish this was a season where Florida State had a week zero game or a bit of a “layup” to start the season. With two new schemes, a new quarterback, etc, it’s a tough task to start with Alabama. I worry that an early blowout could hurt the team mentality. Overall, I’m in the I need to see it on the field before I believe anything mode.

LastNoleOfKrypton: My early thoughts on FSU are that I like the offensive personnel much better than the defensive personnel, scheme-wise. Offensively, you’ve got five redshirt seniors on the offensive lines, which generally means good college players with low NFL ceilings. You need that after last year, along with a very mobile QB who is quicker than fast and is a much better runner than thrower.

Defensively, I think FSU looks really light on the defensive line right now, and I need to see them stop the run first before I believe in their ability to have some real success.

Jon Marchant: Unfinished product. Inconsistency. First year in new scheme on both sides of the ball will lead to high variance play.

Matt Minnick: I have no idea who half the people on the two deep are. That’s either a really good thing or really bad.

Perry Kostidakis: As I mentioned in my prediction for the season opener, if last year was just your typical dropoff season, I would be really encouraged by this team on paper, but right now, I have wary, cautious optimism. Holes seemed to have been filled, but is FlexSeal keeping out leaks enough if the ship still has foundational damage? We’ll get an early answer on that by seeing just how competitive FSU is against Alabama and hey, FSU is guaranteed to have at least two wins by the end of September.

What will be more impressive this season, offense or defense?

Jordan Silversmith: I think the offense and defense will flip during the year, with the offense being ahead of the defense early, before the defense figures out Tony White’s scheme later in the year and starts playing faster. The offense is a veteran group, but lacks depth, specifically at wide receiver and offensive line. Meanwhile, the defense is much younger, especially on the back end, but more game reps should lead to a better product.

Curt Weiler: Call me crazy but I’m going offense. I’m a fan of the running backs they brought in, and they’ll only be further boosted by an experienced OL and an incredibly athletic QB. While I still have questions about the depth at receiver, I’m a big believer in the top-end talent there. Two walk-ons in the two-deep of the defensive depth chart tells me some players who they were expecting production from this preseason haven’t delivered.

Jacob Smith: Definitely the defense. When Kevin Wynn returns, I expect it to be one of the best in the ACC. But, don’t sleep on the o-line and RB room. Malzahn had a top 10 rushing offense at UCF.

Frank DeÑole: The offense will be more impressive to start the season, especially if Gus’s HUNH offense works as advertised. Eventually, the defense will mature as the season goes on and will hopefully keep the opposing teams from matching FSU scoring on a drive-by-drive basis.

NoleThruandThru: Offense

Tim Scribble: I think the offense. I’m putting my chips in on a rebuilt offense line staying healthy. If one of those guys goes down then ignore all of this lol. If Tommy C is committed to using his legs, they could be competitive offensively every game. I think the defensive line depth is too thin to be impactful late in games.

LastNoleOfKrypton: I stand by the offense being more impressive than offense; with the caveat that Castellanos plays and starts at least ten games.

Jon Marchant: Offense in my opinion. It’s more dependent on health of Castellanos and the offensive line.

Matt Minnick: I’m not really a 3-3-5 guy if I’m being honest. Call me old fashioned but I love two DEs wreaking havoc off the edge and two DTs putting pressure in the QBs face. That said, I’m open to trying anything that will help FSU get off the field on 3rd and long. So here’s to saying the defense and manifesting it into reality.

Perry Kostidakis: I’m going to go with the offense, just because of how encouraging it is to see young players emerging already and the fact that (at least according to what we’ve heard from coaches) the unit has been gelling, especially since getting everybody back and healthy. I think the defense has potential to surprise, however, and it’ll be interesting to see how the depth chart evolves over the course of the year.

Will FSU beat a major rival in 2025?

Jordan Silversmith: Florida State will not win one of its games against Clemson, Florida, Alabama or Miami — they are veteran teams, with Clemson and Florida not going through a ton of turnover in the offseason.

Curt Weiler: Lump in Alabama with the other three and I’ll say yes. I think they’ll beat one of the four teams they’re expected to be sizable underdogs against. Maybe that’s Alabama this weekend, maybe Miami or Florida. Clemson is by far the least likely to me.

Jacob Smith: If they do, it’s probably going to be Miami. No Cam Ward, no Elijah Arroyo, no Xavier Restrepo. Carson Beck doesn’t scare me. Clemson is too good, and Florida has DJ Lagway. It might be another year or two before we notch a win against all three major rival teams again.

Frank DeÑole: FSU will beat both Florida and Miami this season, but will lose a close game to Clemson. That is unless the Noles can match their 2023 performance, which snapped the Tigers 25-game home ACC winning streak, by keeping the game close and winning it in OT again.

NoleThruandThru: I think Florida is the most vulnerable but I think FSU will lose to Florida, Miami, and Clemson. Clemson will be the only blowout loss, though.

Tim Scribble: Clemson – No, Miami and UF – toss up based off their QB health, but I’ll lean no.

LastNoleOfKrypton: Yes, don’t ask me which right now, but yes.

Jon Marchant: I don’t know. I hope so. I think they’ll get someone, just not sure who it would be.

Matt Minnick: Yes, Miami

Perry Kostidakis: You know what, sure. There’s nothing that indicates it should happen, but that’s the beauty of this stupid, silly sport. At Clemson seems like too tall of a task to pull off, but if FSU has found its groove after the first month of football, catching Miami after matchups vs. Notre Dame, USF and Florida might be the recipe to pulling off a win in Tallahassee. UF has all the pieces for a big year, but roster health is a concern. I think FSU wins at least one.

Final season prediction?

Jordan Silversmith: . I’ve gone back and forth all offseason, but a few days before the season starts, I sit with FSU at 6-6 for the year. As I mentioned, if they fail to beat one of their rivals and have to play on the road in Raleigh, a historical nightmare, they will already be at 7-5. I will say that the Noles lose to one of Pitt, Virginia Tech or Stanford cross country to just reach bowl eligibility.

Curt Weiler: I have wavered here. Settling on 7-5. I think the top-end talent could take this team higher than that with great injury luck but that’s a tough thing to bet on happening. I have some real questions about the depth at a number of spots if one or two people went down, hence why I’m landing at seven wins.

Jacob Smith: 16-0 or bust. If Thomas Castellanos can talk smack and back it up, I think the ceiling is maybe 10-2. If this team falters, we all fall into despair again. Let’s go with a safe 7-5. I fully expect all of these predictions to not happen.

NoleThruandThru: 7-5 with a bowl game appearance.

Frank DeÑole: FSU will finish the season at 9-3, for another historic turnaround from their previous season for the second straight year in a row. However, this year’s turnaround will be from losses to wins, instead of wins to losses, which was the FSU storyline for last year’s miserable season.

Tim Scribble: Anywhere from 5-8 wins, so I’ll land on 6-6, maybe 7-5.

LastNoleOfKrypton: I have FSU going 8-4 in 2025. FSU faces four teams that definitively have more talent than FSU, and FSU also faces 8 teams that definitely have less talent than FSU. I don’t believe that Mike Norvell has yet reestablished a culture where FSU takes care of business all 8 times against the teams they’re supposed to be better than, but I’ve also seen him compete and compete well when FSU is a definitive underdog and not utterly incompetent — something that I am banking on Florida State not being this season.

Prediction: 8-4, Most likely 7-5, Ceiling 10-2, Floor 4-8. A new day has arrived, Go Noles!

Jon Marchant: 7-5

Matt Minnick: 6-6

Perry Kostidakis: A month ago, I was pretty firmly in the seven-win camp. Now, call it night-before-gameday delusion, but I’m leaning towards nine as a real possibility. In this scenario, FSU bounces back from an Alabama loss to rattle off a seven-game win streak before faltering vs. Clemson, beating Virginia Tech, surviving NC State and finally closing out the year with a close loss to Florida. Really, whatever happens, I just want Florida State in the Pop-Tart Bowl, if that isn’t too much to ask.